The team from Maintenance and Housekeeping have been busy all morning preparing our traditional Nativity Scene! Can you believe they did all this in just one morning……well done guys!
The word for Nativity Scene in Spanish is “Belén”. This traditional Christmas decoration is a must in most Spanish homes over the Christmas period!
I took a video of it so that you can see the details; it’s even got moving parts and running water!
Last weekend, 60 scuba divers from two local clubs – the Delfines Scuba Diving Club and the Benalmadena Scuba Diving club – met at Puerto Marina to celebrate the XIII edition of the Underwater Ecological Day.
This is an initiative which takes place yearly, helping to shed awareness amongst the local community on the importance of keeping our underwater ecosystem clean and free of contaminants.
Some of the "Treasures" found in the waters of the Marina
This is how it works: All participants get allocated a specific area of the Marina and have to clean the interior underwater areas of the ports facilities. The objective is to recover and re-float all elements that damage the underwater ecosystem, above all, those that cause contamination, such as boat batteries, mobile phones, etc.
The results? Well, the divers managed to recover approximately two tons of rubbish and residues (see photo): Batteries, supermarket trolleys, a car windscreen, a microwave, various tires, mobile phones and even propellers from boats; these are just some of the “treasures” in the ports waters!
At the end of the event, there were prizes for divers who re-floated the biggest object, the most original, the one that caused most pollution and the most valuable.
No doubt that this is a great initiative which, we hope, will be repeated all along our Coasts!
The Irish Travel Agents Association celebrated their annual conference last week in Málaga (19 & 20th November). As part of their social programme for the event, many of the delegates flew in early and spent two nights here at Sunset Beach Club.
On Wednesday afternoon, 16 delegates managed to squeeze in an enjoyable round of golf at Torrequebrada Golf, one of our partner courses.
The group met for a warm buffet breakfast on Thursday morning, before boarding a coach which took them to our sister resort at La Cala. Our spies tell us that it was a challenging day of golf, with the America course proving difficult under very tricky conditions!
The Golf was followed by a prize giving dinner in our banquet hall on the 7th floor of the hotel. Our new Head Chef, Paul Tugwell, and his team prepared a fantastic meal which received great praise; a prize giving and live music with Ricky Lavazza rounded off a very enjoyable evening.
Here are some photos and video from the Blues at Moonlight Music Festival held last weekend at our Moonlight Cabaret Bar. The event proved to be a great success with some fantastic live performances…… bands from all over Europe and the USA delighted the crowd with the best Blues, Rock & Roll and Swing music!
Debbie with Colleagues from La Cala Resort
Valencia is the hub of the Golf Travel industry this week with the International Golf Travel Market being held in the city (15-18 November 2010).
Over 600 golf tourism suppliers and 350 pre-qualified buyers and tour operators from over 65 countries have flocked to this Mediterranean city for this four day event dedicated to the world of golf travel.
Pre-scheduled appointments, networking opportunities and industry updates all make this one of the most important events in the Golf Travel calendar.
Our Commercial Director, Debbie Wallace, has just returned from IGTM after two busy days of meetings. Sharing a stand with our sister Resort of La Cala, Debbie was able to make contact with many new tour operators and touch base with long time partners. All in all, a fantastic networking event which will hopefully reap its rewards with more Golf business for our hotel!
As mentioned last week, Sunset Beach Club attended a charity lunch last Sunday and took part in a contest to see who made the best “pincho and tapa”. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be this time but it was a great experience for the team and feedback from guests who attended the event was very positive!
The most important thing is that the event managed to raise much needed funds for the charity! Well done to all the team that took part!
"Passport" for the event
For the 2nd Year running, the Town of Fuengirola has organised a slightly different and, should we say, risqué event: An Erotic Tapas Route! It was a great success last year so they decided to repeat and so far feedback has been great.
So what’s it all about? Well, the idea is to promote bars and restaurants in Fuengirola by adding a little fun to the traditional tapas experience. All participating establishments prepare an “erotic” tapa of their choice which customers can order as they make their way around Fuengirola on the tapas route. It’s incredible to see the imagination that goes in to some of these creations! The video below, although in Spanish, will give you an idea of what to expect as you visit the bars and restaurants taking place in the event.
If you are interested in participating, all you have to do is collect a “Passport” (see photo) which includes a map and all participating establishments. The aim is to get the passport stamped in at least 10 different establishments; once completed, you can write down your favourite tapa and then hand in the passport at the Fuengirola Tourist Office. Make sure you do this because everyone who hands in their passport gets a surprise gift (while stocks last) and also gets to enter into a fantastic prize draw. Prizes include the following: Cruises, LCD TV’s, Cameras, Hotel Stays, Lunch & Dinner vouchers and lots more!
Make sure you take a drive down to Fuengirola and take part in this fun event; you’ve got until Sunday the 21st November! Oh, I almost forgot, it’s only €1.50 for a tapa and a drink!
Apple Cannelloni on a Mint Jelly....
Next Sunday the 14th November, Benalmadena Solidaria will hold its 1st Gastronomic Event at the Finca de Los Caballeros (The old “Club Hípico”). This charity lunch includes tasting of a selection of “pinchos & tapas” (these dishes enter a competition), a traditional cabbage dish will all the “trimmings”, and a dessert (you can see a photo of Sunset’s dish in the photo).
Apparently all 300 tickets that were made available for the event have been sold already! The proceeds will be used to feed families in need in the Benalmádena municipality.
Our team of chefs has prepared an interesting pincho for the event…….
“Boquerones filled with traditional porra (traditional dish made with red peppers, garlic, bread, tomato, olive oil, vinegar and anchovies) and served with a shot of ajo blanco (Cold soup made with almonds, garlic)”
Next week I’ll post photos of all the dishes; lets hope that they will be photos of the winning dishes!
The prizes for the establishments that prepare the best tapas are the following: 1st prize of €1000; 2nd prize of €500 and 3rd prize of €300. All entries will be judged on presentation, taste, creativity, quantity, value for money and the recipe description.
Kneller Golf Society - all the way from Twickenham
We’re pleased to welcome the Kneller Golf Society to Sunset Beach Club. This is the second year in a row that they choose Sunset Beach Club for their yearly golf society trip!
In the photo above you can see the guys with Annemie (from our Golf Desk) just after a great round of golf at Torrequebrada. I think they were on their way to the Panorama Bar to catch Happy Hour!
The group booked all their accommodation and golf tee times through our Golf Desk Service; Annemie even arranged all their transfers from the airport and to all the golf courses they are playing at during their stay.
The guys have had a busy week of golf and there is more to come…..they have played the following courses: Lauro Golf, El Chaparral, Torrequebrada and Alhaurin. Tomorrow they play Miraflores and on Friday they will be playing at our sister resort of La Cala; all in all, a great week of golf!
For more information about golf holidays and accommodation, please contact Annemie or Susana at our Golf & Leisure Desk – tel. +34 952 579 400 (ext 3053)
This could be you.......Ice Skating in Benalmadena!
The Costa del Sol is usually regarded as a haven for sun, sea and sand holidays. Benalmadena in particular is well known for its beaches, restaurants, Marina and bustling night life; in the summer time, holiday makers flock to this sea side town for fun packed holidays.
But what about the quieter winter months? Well, the beach is still an option, although the sea might be a little cold for taking a dip! What many people don’t realise is that Benalmadena has much more to offer visitors than beaches and night life. The latest edition to the list of “alternative” activities is….wait for it…..an Ice Rink!
Yes, you read that right; the Costa del Sol has its very own Ice rink which is open from October until May, (Don’t suppose there’s too much demand for ice skating in the summer!) Apparently, the Benalmadena ice rink is the only one of its kind in Andalucia; with a surface area of 900 square metres and located within a 7000 square metre sports complex, it registered a total of 12.500 visits last year. (more…)
